At a celebration for the 155th anniversary of the founding of the Council of State (Danistay), President Erdogan stated:
“Our purpose is to grant our country a new civil constitution… [a constitution] to protect our freedoms, prepared at the hands of our nation. This change will scatter the last remaining clouds which hang over Turkiye’s democracy.“
Previous amendments to the constitution proposed by Erdogan’s government have included the explicit specification of marriage as “between a man and a woman” in order to “protect the institution of marriage against the insistent threats of those who follow perverse currents.”
In 2017, the constitution was changed by referendum to abolish the office of Prime Minister, consolidating power in the hands of a single President.
This President was permitted affiliation with a political party, whereas previously he would have been required to leave party politics to the Prime Minister as a servant of the whole Turkish people.
The Parliament (TBMM) became prohibited from monitoring ministers in his government, who could be appointed or removed at will by the President.
This President was also authorized to declare states of emergency at his discretion.
Since the 2017 referendum, it requires the approval of three-fifths of the 600 members of Parliament — 360 votes — to bring the President under investigation for a crime.
President Erdogan is the head of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). There are 285 AKP MP’s in the current term of Parliament. As long as at least 241 of these MPs remain loyal to the party, Erdogan cannot be impeached.
The Supreme Election Council (YSK) prohibited the Ministry of the Interior from fulfilling their declared intention to dispatch police and gendarmerie forces to collect ballot data on election night, and to compile the collected data into an Excel file.
Participants at Erdogan’s rally in Batman province left Turkish flags littered across the square.
The flag is loved and honored by many Turks, who consider it to contain “the blood of those martyred for our freedom, and the star and crescent which shone onto their bodies.“ It is illegal to place a Turkish flag on the ground.
A recent poll forecasts presidential candidate Kemal Kilicdaroglu receiving 49.3% of the vote compared to Erdogan’s 43.7%.
Although Kilicdaroglu is more popular than Erdogan, these results would still push the election into a second round. At least 50% support is required for a president to be chosen on May 14 [election day].
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